Majnu
Ajeeb
Daastaans
begins
with
Shashank
Khaitan's
Majnu.
Babloo
(Jaideep
Ahlawat)
is
an
influential
local
kingpin
who
is
stuck
in
a
loveless
marriage
with
Lipakshi
(Fatima
Sana
Shaikh).
Unknown
to
Lipakshi,
Babloo
harbours
a
dark
secret
while
his
wife
tries
to
deal
with
her
loneliness
with
a
slew
of
affairs.
Enters
London-returned
Raj
Kumar
(Armaan
Ralhan),
son
of
the
family's
driver.
What
follows
next
is
a
bunch
of
revelations
on
the
theme
of
sexuality,
revenge
and
deceit.
Fatima
Sana
Shaikh
has
a
magnetic
screen
presence
but
the
actress
does
stumble
a
bit
when
it
comes
to
playing
a
seductress.
Jaideep
Ahlawat
delivers
a
reliable
act.
Armaan
Ralhan
is
convincing
as
Raj
Kumar,
the
man
who
brings
in
a
twist
in
the
tale.
Director
Shashank
Khaitan
has
an
engaging
plot
in
his
hand.
However,
the
filmmaker
struggles
to
add
some
nuances
to
his
storytelling
to
make
it
more
appealing
to
the
audience.
Also,
the
inconsistent
screenplay
sticks
out
like
a
sore
thumb.
Khilauna
Raj
Mehta
of
Good
Newwz
fame
offers
the
audience
a
sly
pro-capitalism
drama
in
which
a
street
smart
house-help
Meenal
(Nushrratt
Bharuccha)
and
her
precious
kid
sister
Binny
(Inayat
Verma)
try
to
bridge
the
gap
between
the
haves
and
the
not-haves;
unaware
of
the
exploitation
and
horrors
that
come
along.
Nushrratt
Bharuccha
springs
a
surprise
with
her
portrayal
of
a
naive,
confident
women.
Inayat
Verma
(who
was
charming
in
Anurag
Basu's
Ludo)
woos
you
this
time
with
a
chilling
performance.
Abhishek
Banerjee
is
top-notch
as
the
neighbourhood
laundry
man
Sushil.
Filmmaker
Raj
Mehta
tries
to
throw
light
on
the
dynamics
of
the
class
divide
and
also
pulls
the
rug
off
your
feet
with
a
'chilling'
twist.
However,
this
segment
falters
in
terms
of
writing,
which
looks
a
little
weak
at
places.
Geeli
Puchhi
Masaan
director
Neeraj
Ghaywan's
Geeli
Puchhi
is
the
best
one
in
the
whole
lot.
The
film
revolves
around
Bharati
(Konkona
Sen
Sharma),
a
Dalit
factory
worker
who
has
her
eyes
set
on
the
data
operator's
job.
To
her
shock,
the
post
is
offered
to
an
upper-class
newly
married
woman
Priya
(Aditi
Rao
Hydari).
Initially
peeved,
Bharti
eventually
befriends
the
new
recruit
and
strikes
an
unexpected
friendship
with
her.
However,
their
forbidden
bonding
comes
with
its
share
of
heartbreaks
and
deception.
The
ever-reliable
Konkona
Sen
Sharma
proves
once
again
why
she
is
one
of
the
finest
talents
in
our
country.
Lending
her
ample
support
is
Aditi
Rao
Hydari,
who
is
radiant
in
each
and
every
frame.
Neeraj
Ghaywan's
Geeli
Pucchi
overpowers
rest
of
the
films
in
the
anthology
when
it
comes
to
getting
its
plot
and
emotions
bang
on.
Within
a
limited
time,
the
director
succeeds
in
packing
a
series
of
themes
like
homophobia,
class
and
caste
divide
in
his
narrative
that
leaves
you
thinking
for
a
long
time.
Ankahi
Lastly,
Kayoze
Irani's
Ankahi
tells
the
story
of
unhappily
married
mother
Natasha
(Shefali
Shah),
whose
daughter
is
slowly
losing
her
sense
of
hearing.
While
Natasha
is
quick
to
adapt
to
sign
language,
her
hubby
(played
by
Toto
Roy
Chaudhary)
seems
a
bit
disinterested.
When
Natasha
bumps
into
a
deaf-and-mute
photographer
Rohan
(Manav
Kaul)
at
an
art
gallery,
the
former
chooses
to
seek
a
companion
in
him.
But
then,
'Do
eyes
never
really
lie?"
Manav
Kaul
is
a
treat
to
watch
in
Ankahi
and
his
sign
language
scenes
leave
you
with
a
wide
grin
on
your
face.
Minus
any
dialogues,
the
man
churns
a
delightful
performance
that's
hard
to
resist.
Shefali
Shah's
commendable
act
is
also
one
of
the
reasons
why
Ankahi
strikes
a
chord.
Director
Kayoze
Irani
portrays
marital
rifts
with
empathy
and
proves
that
sometimes
love
needs
no
language.
Right
from
suppressed
emotions
to
emotional
outbursts,
the
filmmaker
taps
in
every
area
to
give
you
a
heart-touching
watch.
Technical
Aspects
Jishnu
Bhattacharjee,
Pushkar
Singh
and
Siddharth
Vasani's
camera
work
captures
the
vivid
moods
of
Ajeeb
Daastaans
in
an
effective
way.
Nitin
Baid's
sharp
editing
keeps
you
hooked
to
the
screen.
Verdict
Karan
Johar
redeems
his
previous
failure
Ghost
Stories
with
an
engaging
take
on
complex
human
relationships
in
the
form
of
Ajeeb
Daastaans.
Despite
the
bumps
at
a
few
places,
the
Netflix
anthology
still
makes
for
a
compelling
watch.
Neeraj
Ghaywan's
Geeli
Puchhi
and
Kayoze
Irani's
Ankahi
are
our
picks
from
the
lot.